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Vagabond (Ship)
Description A Vagabond is an assorted collection of parts from other vessels, usually attached to a wooden hull. These ships are asymmetrical nightmares, but they work. Vagabonds are painted in bright, clashing colours, with multi-coloured banners hanging from masts that seem to have no apparent function. Each Vagabond is constructed and maintained by an individual aperusa clan, although depending on the size of the clan two or more ships may be built to serve the clan's needs. Even in cases in which a clan has more than one Vagabond, each ship will be distinctly unique in appearance, although all Vagabonds share approximately the same performance characteristics, and are approximately the same size. All Vagabonds are unarmed. The aperusa instead prefer to interact peacefully with other spacefarers when possible, often robbing them blind in the process, and flee from any attackers if needed. If faced with attackers whom they are unable to flee from, the aperusa prefer to handle the situation by summoning a constellate to fight on their behalf. This alarming tendancy tends to keep attacks on aperusa Vagabonds low, at least from those who are aware of it. If a determined attacker catches a Vagabond whose patriarch is unable to currently summon a constellate, the Vagabond tends to be easy pickings. If, however, a constellate is summoned, the attacker is virtually always doomed. Crew A Vagabond tends to carry 15-20 aperusa, who will be an extended family group, sometimes being the entirety of a particular clan, and sometimes merely being one family group of several within that clan. Most of the work aboard the ship will be done by the women, while the men give the orders and live in comfort. A crew will typically include 2-4 blades (5th level fighters who also have the spellcasting abilities of 5th level bards, and the thieving abilities of 5th level thieves), and 1-2 umbras (5th level thieves who also have the spellcasting abilities of 5th level bards), while the rest of the aperusa on board can be treated as 1st level thieves. The blades and umbras serve as spelljammers and leaders, although they could not truly be called officers. It should be noted that blades are exclusively male, and very few umbras will be female. A Vagabond may or may not carry the clan's patriarch and/or matriarch (these will be the eldest male and his wife, if any, or the widow of the eldest male), referred to as Beloved Grandfather or Beloved Grandmother respectively. Grandfathers and Grandmothers are treated as blades or umbras, although they are 10th level, and they are the undisputed leaders of the clan. Ship Uses Clan Ship: All Vagabonds are used by the aperusa as clan ships, taking their nomadic crews from port to port. These clan ships are the permanent homes of the aperusa, and aid them in the various pursuts by which they make their living, including salvage, and trading the various items wich they have salvaged, or purloined through their many scams and schemes. When a clan owns more than one Vagabond, they will travel in a colourful convoy. Other Configurations While each Vagabond is unique, they all share similar characteristics, and there are no other significant variations of the ship.